Global air passenger traffic plunged by an unprecedented 66% in 2020 due to travel restrictions imposed over the Covid-19 pandemic, an industry group said Wednesday. The IATA also warned that the emergence of new, more transmissible variants of the coronavirus were hurting the prospects for recovery this year. Given that travel restrictions applied mostly to international travel, domestic passenger traffic fared better, dropping by 49%, compared to 76% for foreign passenger traffic. The travel restrictions imposed during the first wave of the pandemic saw global passenger traffic fall to just 5% of its normal level, with airlines forced to park planes on runways because not enough space was available. While traffic picked up during the summer, in December it was down by 70%, thus finishing out the year below average.<br/>
general
Pittsburgh International Airport in the US is preparing to execute its $1.1b Terminal Modernization Program (TMP) project in spring this year. Due to the pandemic, the project work, which was scheduled to begin in April 2020, was postponed. During the provisional period, the project’s design team was at work with airlines and airport stakeholders, re-examining the project and adjusting it to new health concerns, reported The Business Journal. Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA) CEO Christina Cassotis said that the airport and construction officials were prepared to recommence the project. The airport stated that the altered design and construction documents for the terminal update were more than 90% complete. After completion, bidding in connection with the project will begin.<br/>
It is "not practical" to completely close the UK's borders given the amount of medicines and food imported into the country, the prime minister has said. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for tougher restrictions to prevent new coronavirus variants entering the UK. Boris Johnson said the government had already tightened travel restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus. He said it would be going ahead with its plan for quarantine hotels for people arriving from Covid hotspots. It is not yet clear when the scheme - announced a week ago - will start or when there will be further details. Sir Keir said government scientists had recommended "a complete pre-emptive closure of borders". In response, Johnson said: "Actually, Sage (the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies) did not recommend a complete ban and they say travel bans should not be relied upon to stop the importation of new variants. But we do have one of the toughest regimes in the world."<br/>
Britain will publish its aviation recovery plan later this year transport minister Grant Shapps said on Wednesday, adding that he could not give more detail on the timing because of uncertainty caused by coronavirus. “The best I can give you right now is later this year,” Shapps told a parliamentary committee when asked about the recovery plan, adding that the date of publication would become clearer in the next few weeks. “We are already working on aspects of it and have been for some time ... We can’t publish it until we know where we are with the ending of coronavirus.” The plan to help the UK’s airlines and airports restart after the pandemic is keenly awaited by the industry after almost a year of travel restrictions has left many of them fighting for survival. The industry, which has already shed 45,000 jobs, has repeatedly asked the government for more sector specific support.<br/>
Denmark's government said Wednesday it is joining forces with businesses to develop a digital passport that would show whether people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, allowing them to travel and help ease restrictions on public life. Finance Minister Morten Boedskov told a news conference that “in three, four months, a digital corona passport will be ready for use in, for example, business travel.” “It is absolutely crucial for us to be able to restart Danish society so that companies can get back on track. Many Danish companies are global companies with the whole world as a market,” he added. Story has full details.<br/>